The Obsessive Male Lead Is Obsessed With Me! - Chapter 126

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 126

“But unlike spirit familiars that have physical bodies, Cecil’s soul fragment doesn’t have that, does it? How do we confirm that the soul fragment has been successfully drawn out?”

“Good point. Now, watch carefully.”

Melania flipped the magical device over and pressed a button attached to the bottom.

Then, like a doll’s belly splitting open, the inside was revealed. Within the leather pouch engraved with complex magical circuits was a glowing stone the size of a child’s fist.

“Is this… a magic stone?”

“Similar, but different. This is a soul stone made by processing the heart of a Monster King.”

“A soul stone?”

“That’s right.”

When Lionel single-handedly defeated the Monster King, the Former Emperor ordered Lionel to bring the Monster King’s corpse to the capital.

The pretext was for a more spectacular triumph ceremony, but in reality, it was a scheme to enhance his own reputation by performing the beheading of the Monster King before the people.

However, the Former Emperor eventually died before the triumph ceremony could even be held, and the ceremony fell through.

Thus, the Monster King’s corpse, having lost its destination, was handed over to the Frost Magic Tower. This was possible because Melania wanted it, Cecilia agreed, and Lionel permitted it.

Melania processed the heart extracted from this Monster King’s corpse to create a soul stone that could preserve soul fragments without damage for a long time.

“Do you need the heart of something as powerful as a Monster King to preserve soul fragments?”

“Not necessarily. As long as proper preservation magic is applied, soul fragments can be preserved in ordinary magic stones… no, not even magic stones, but in common cloth and such places.”

“Then why did you make the soul stone from the Monster King’s heart?”

“Because ordinary magic stones or objects don’t have high durability.”

Melania tapped the soul stone inside the magical device with her knuckles.

“It needs to be at least this sturdy so it won’t break no matter what happens.”

“That’s certainly true.”

Even if kept carefully in a place only one person could see, there was no telling what might happen.

Thieves could break in, or perhaps unknown intruders could sneak in…

“Now, I’ll give this to you.”

“What? To me?”

Belrose, who had been lost in thought, reflexively took the magical device Melania handed him and showed a surprised expression belatedly.

“Isn’t this a very rare magical device? Is it really okay to give it to me?”

“Rare or not, what would I do with that magical device after recovering Cecil’s soul fragment?”

“Uh… That’s true too.”

Watching Belrose scratch his head, Melania leaned back in her chair and put her pipe in her mouth.

“Since I made it, you’ll handle the recovery. After all, you’ll have more opportunities than me to get close to the Second Prince.”

“That’s probably true… But if they ask what this is, what should I answer?”

The magical device was so large that there was nowhere proper to hide it, and it made quite a racket too.

He would definitely get caught. There was no way around it.

Moreover, he had to operate it right next to Lionel with the device’s nozzle pointed at Lionel, so what should he say if Lionel asked what this magical device was?

“I’m leaving that part up to you too.”

“What?”

“Think about it, there’s no need to hide it, is there? You could say that due to various past events, Cecil’s soul fragment seems to have been absorbed into your body, and you’re trying to recover it without Cecil knowing, so please cooperate. If you said that, he’d probably cooperate.”

Melania recalled her first encounter with Lionel and burst into an incredulous laugh while holding her pipe.

“I never expected to be asked at my age whether I had any romantic experience.”

“His logic was that older people would have had more opportunities for romance than young people… I’m sorry.”

“Hmph. Don’t apologize to me, go push that guy to confess to Cecil already. I’ve never seen someone make such a fuss about love in all my life.”

“Ah, right. Making a fuss… Ahem.”

Though his high status prevented him from saying it himself, honestly it was accurate.

He’d only been in the north for half a year, yet the fact that everyone in the Frost Duchy knew about that lovesickness was itself like a disease.

‘At this point, it would be stranger if Cecil didn’t know.’

Maybe Cecil knew too? Maybe she was pretending not to know while actually knowing?

He desperately wanted to ask Cecilia, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, fearing he might ruin Lionel’s confession plans by running his mouth carelessly.

“Anyway, go on now. I’m tired and need to rest.”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work, Lady Melania.”

Melania waved her hand dismissively as a response. Belrose gave one more cookie to Snowy, who was poking her head out from atop the wardrobe, then went outside.

On the way back to his quarters in the dim night. In the quiet where only his footsteps could be heard, Belrose pondered.

‘But do we… really need to use this?’

He had thought about it earlier too, but no matter how sturdy this soul stone was, it could still be stolen by someone, or perhaps a catastrophic fire could break out at home.

If they could return the soul fragment to Cecil, that would be one thing, but if they had to store her soul fragment somewhere separately…

‘Wouldn’t it be better to just leave it in His Highness’s body?’

Who was Lionel? Wasn’t he the person who single-handedly killed that terrifying Monster King who had led hundreds, thousands of monsters?

That battle had been incredibly fierce. There were dozens of lightning bolts decorating the night sky, and after the battle ended, even the great Krieg had been completely exhausted.

So Belrose, worried, had secretly used the compass after the battle ended.

But Cecilia’s soul fragment was safely attached to Lionel, unharmed.

If it remained unharmed even after fighting the Monster King, it seemed unlikely that any intruder or assassin could inflict even a scratch on his body.

‘Of course, leaving it as is isn’t the best solution either…’

What should he do about this?

He had followed them all the way to the north precisely because of this problem, yet even with the solution in his hands, his worries only grew larger.

‘I should discuss this with my family first.’

Until then, it would be on hold.

Belrose returned to his quarters, carefully holding the magical device close to his chest, worried that someone else might discover it.

* * *

Perhaps because the New Year festival had been held safely and concluded successfully amid people’s favorable reviews. The capital’s atmosphere for welcoming the new year wasn’t too bad.

But that was only the story of the residential areas; the atmosphere among the nobles who had attended the Imperial New Year banquet was somewhat different.

“His Majesty the Emperor didn’t show his face at this banquet at all.”

“They say Her Majesty the Empress couldn’t spare even a moment because she was nursing His Majesty the Emperor. Just how serious is His Majesty’s illness…?”

“At least Her Majesty the Former Empress has been faithfully maintaining her position…”

“Now that I think about it, Her Majesty the Former Empress’s devotion to her sickly eldest son was probably so she could control the Empire herself, just like now.”

Until half a year ago, he had at least maintained his position with a pale complexion, but the Emperor, who had begun falling seriously ill precisely from that point, was now absent even from National Council meetings.

The Former Empress made every effort to replace such an Emperor. But her tendency to easily raise her voice and get angry even over trivial matters seemed less like concern for the Emperor and more like anxiety about losing her own power.

It was natural for the Former Empress to become sensitive as her son’s health deteriorated more and more, but…

To dismiss it as maternal instinct was questionable, considering there was another son who had been banished to the frigid north.

“No matter how much the eldest is a precious child, I couldn’t understand why she would distance the second son so extremely.”

“At first she tried to send him to the temple, and when that didn’t work, to the Northern Mountain Range… It seems it was Her Majesty the Former Empress herself who felt threatened by His Highness the Second Prince’s existence.”

“But what does that matter? When His Majesty the Emperor passes away, it’s over anyway.”

“Oh my, watch your words! What if something terrible happens from speaking so carelessly!”

“Everyone’s talking about it anyway. Besides, honestly, isn’t it true? His Majesty the Emperor, no matter how long he lives… at most 1 or 2 years, right?”

“Gasp…!”

When someone spoke so boldly, others would gasp and cover their mouths in shock, but truthfully, everyone agreed. That the Emperor wouldn’t live long.

Moreover, considering the oracle the Emperor had received, it wouldn’t be strange if misfortune struck today.

His death was almost certain. Now the important question was whether he could leave an heir before he died.</

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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